New Zealand foodstuffs Part I

So far this week I have consumed four New Zealand foodstuffs:

1) The Flat White

This was the first NZ product I tried. This is a coffee similar to a latte, which has a shot of espresso topped up with milk 'microfoam'. Microfoam is found at the bottom of a jug of steamed milk, and has a very smooth texture. In this way it differs from a latte, which isn't as smooth and is a bit more like plain milk, and a cappuccino, which is dryer and much more foamy.

I had actually already had a flat white, in Starbucks in Manchester. I can safely say a NZ flat white is much better.

2) The Feijoa

Otherwise known as Acca sellowiana, the feijoa is a small green fruit that looks like a cross between a lime and a kiwifruit. You eat it by cutting it in half and scooping out the pulp with a spoon - you can't eat the skin at all.

It has a very...distinctive...taste, shall we say. It has the texture of a slightly gritty kiwifruit, and tastes a bit like a perfumed apple. It's quite odd. Not unpleasant, but more 'I'd rather have something else.'

3) The L&P

Lemon & Paeroa, or L&P, is a fizzy soft drink described as 'World Famous In New Zealand', which is an odd claim. Especially because you can't buy it anywhere else in the world. It is made by combining lemon with water from the town of Paeroa, and tastes pretty much how you would imagine. Quite refreshing.

4) The NZ Cadbury's

I thought I was imagining it when I said it tasted different this side of the world, but my consultant assured me I was not. Cadbury's chocolate manufactured in the UK contains palm oil, which I'm sure we all know is Bad Stuff. However, Cadbury's in NZ bowed to media pressure and boycotts and removed palm oil from it's recipe. So it tastes different, but not in a way I can describe.

They have pretty much the same chocolate bars though, with a few additions. However, there's much more exciting chocolate to be had instead, so I can't imagine I'll be eating much of it!

As a side note, New Zealanders aren't buying much Cadbury's, as they disagree with the takeover by Kraft.